The Perfect Daughter

Weak portrayals of the main characters mar this meandering thriller from Souza (Pray for the Girl). Isla Eaves calls the Shepherd’s Bay, Maine, police after she’s awakened early one morning by a noise in her house only to discover that it was just her Alzheimer’s-afflicted father. When officer Karl Bjornson arrives, Isla notes her daughter Katie, a high school junior, isn’t in her room, but—despite another teen having been missing from town for more than three months—neither Isla nor Karl is particularly concerned until the following day when Katie’s best friend, Willow Briggs, is also reported missing. Katie turns up days later, beaten and with temporary memory loss. Karl investigates, but his technique is limited to questioning Katie and having “gut feelings.” Katie meanwhile tries to remember the start of her friendship with Willow, but her internal monologues often don’t sound like that of a teen. Various extraneous plot threads help keep readers guessing, but the true culprits act suspiciously from the very beginning. Souza has done better. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (May)